Podcasting is a flexible delivery medium that offers a listener an orchestrated and recorded conversation for anything from product marketing, uncovering intriguing stories and sharing trend worthy news. They can act as a time machine for a listener, and they can bridge worlds both physically and mentally. A podcast can reach audiences and countries that you won’t even be aware of, and open you up to making new connections from all over the world with people from all sorts of backgrounds. There are great podcasts and there are those that you wish you can do a reverse time charge against and I’ve got a few opinions on the former.

How many times have you been enthralled with a radio show or audiobook? And how did those presenters sound? Relaxed? Balanced in delivery? One way to think about it is, putting your best FM voice on and letting the presenter team steer the flow of the conversation over an unheard beat and melody.

Streaming is popular, but I prefer recorded podcasts, because all of the fluff and things you tried hard not to say (but accidentally did anyway) can be polished out and sprinkled with glitter.

Podcasts have a formal pecking order of hosts, with one taking either the lead formally (or informally). Even podcasts with multiple hosts will have a formal or un-agreed lead host, so it’s worth figuring out early who’s likely to take the lead. There will be a natural flow of questions and triggers to different subjects. The more experienced the team, the less you’ll even notice this happening.

There is always a perceived audience too, and it’s worth keeping in mind that you’re talking through the guidance of the hosts to the would be listeners. I used to and still love taking the role of a private investigator and would dig into to topics as if a listener was asking me a question through an unseen ear piece.

Prepare Yourself

Podcasting requires concentration, a quiet environment and a sense of calm. The medium is spoken word and mental imagery can be formed through the tiniest of grunts or longest of sentences. If your mind is clear, you’ll project your presence and story well.

Then there’s the equipment. Podcasters use equipment from the cheapest microphones to the most expensive. Your daily driver like Airpods, Beats or gaming headset will do just fine as a guest and I’d even stretch that to being a host. Just make sure if they’re battery powered, charge them up! If you want to make your voice as professional as it can get, invest in a microphone and set of headphones for editing. It doesn’t have to be the best and a USB microphone will most probably be good enough. Turn off any equaliser or bass boost mode whilst you’re at it. We’re aiming for flat audio reproduction for podcasting.

A bit of advice that you can thank me for later; make sure you stay away from fizzy drinks an hour before recording and keep a glass of water close by!

I use a Rode Procaster microphone with Dynamite DM1 pre-amp, which can even make my awful voice sound professional. For headphones I’ve got a set of Audio Technica BPHS1 and yes, that has a microphone too, but I turn it to one side, preferring the sound of the Procaster. I won’t recommend this setup, because I’ve gone through lots of hardware and you need to find your own groove. Starting out with something like a USB Blue Yeti will set you off on the right footing.

My microphone and image courtesy of https://rode.com/en/microphones/broadcast/procaster

Running Order

Here is a run through of a typical podcast from the side of the production team, which could be one person.

Pre-Record

This is quite possibly the most crucial part and can set the tone for what follows. Presenters join up on a platform like Skype, Teams, Whereby and Zoom, do some random noise making to shake off nerves and exercise the old mouth muscles and vocal cords. This bit always reminds me of a generic but classic movie scene, in which two French protagonists with epées are circling each other, eyeing up the first blow. The record button is normally hit at this point and things begin to sound formal.

Introductions

This part is where the host will introduce the show, speak to co-hosts and then introduce the guest(s).

Guests are normally reactionary in this phase with the hosts taking the lead.

Topic Time

Ok, so why are we here? What did you do that’s conversation worthy? The meat is added to the bones presented in the introduction.

Ramping Up

About 30% through the allotted time, you’ll be in prime cut territory (as if our podcast was a steak), and this is where some people including me, start to speed up talking. It’s time to take a pace check and get the beat under control, but let the melody sing out on the back of energy emitted from the topic being explored.

Ramping Down

If the conversation has been particularly heated or action packed, there is mental time check right about now. All of the questions that could be asked in long form, are mostly compressed to short form in the name of time. Presenters can start to ask questions like packing sardine cans into boxes and sometimes, an offer for a part two is made. It’s key here for the guest to have space to get off their chest any primary points they wish to air and it’s worth lining these up in the pre-record section.

Peak-End Round-Up

Whatever energy remains is consumed here and this part enables the guest to pitch their point, product or idea one last time. It can sound like a bonfire of energy and I love it. It’s the equivalent of an executive summary that compacts key messaging into something known as a “peak-end”, in which listeners are proven to remember the last few bits of detail in some form of communication. If this a product pitch, it would be the famous bar stool pitch.

Read more about the peak-end rule here

Closing Message

This is where the hosts thank the guests and each other and go through a formal process of announcing where they can find each other. The lead presenter will ask the guest(s) where they can be found in digital space and then do the show’s sign off in which guest(s) are expected to be silent.

Re-Dos

It’s completely normal to complete mess up a podcast section. If you’ve said something wrong, or maybe it was how you said it, or you do what I do and trip over your words like a queue of starved elephants charging towards a bag of peanuts, then you can pause and ask to go back and have another go. It’s normal and don’t sweat or apologise about it. Think about it like this, would you rather rework the podcast whilst you’re in the zone before the edit, or regret not interrupting the flow when you listen to it on the drive home?

Editing & Pre-Release

The show editor, most of the time one of the presenters, will edit the recording and will share it with each host and guest prior to release. This is good manners and it gives the guest one last chance to revoke something that’s been said, or to remove content entirely. On the last point, it’s a great reason to speak timed against an unheard mental metronome. If you speak too fast without gaps, the editor will print your face off and pock it full of holes on their dartboard.

Release

Buckle up! It’s time to let the distribution network do its thing and push it to the listeners.

That’s a Wrap

The origins of this saying is under dispute, but it dates back to the 1920s to signify the end of filming.

If you’re reading this prior to being a podcast guest, I wish you good luck and have lots of fun. Podcasts are primarily for human consumption and only secondly as learning input for AI (which may or may not become Skynet).

Podcasting is something I really enjoy doing and I can only wish upon you the same joy. Thanks for reading!